


A New Style

by swanqueenfic13



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Acceptance, Dark One Emma, F/F, Hair cut, Mental Breakdown, Redemption, Self-Acceptance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-03 20:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5305154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off of this lovely post from Malefistache:</p><p>After that short-haired Emma manip, I am in a dire need of fanfic where Emma breaks down, looks in the mirror, touches her white locks and has a cathartic moment where she yells she’s not a savior and not their perfect little princess, she’s the Dark One, and they have to accept her as she is; she then cuts off her hair with Excalibur/dagger in front of her parents as she “comes out,” falls on her knees crying, golden hair (it changes color as it falls) all over the floor around her in the dim light. They slowly come to embrace her and let her know they have made too many mistakes but they won’t do them again, they love and accept her just the way she is and both of them kiss the sides of her temples and True Love breaks the curse. The next day they have the scissors hands man come give her a neat style (because he probably is in Storybrooke too. lol) and Emma’s next action is knock on Regina’s door to confess she loves her. 
            </p></blockquote>





	A New Style

“You’re better than this, Emma!” Snow shouts. Ever since she’d told them about Hook being a new Dark One, her parents had been accosting her, telling her how she’d screwed up. “You’re the Savior! You’re supposed to bring back the happiness, and save everyone from the darkness, not create more of it!”

“This is who I am, now!” Emma says back through clenched teeth.

“No, Emma, it doesn’t have to be! You can be our princess again. We can bring you back from this,” David says earnestly. Emma takes a deep breath, trying to keep from yelling at them.

Why don’t they understand she never was a princess? She grew up in converse, and flannel. She wore beanies, she stole Pop-tarts from convenience stores. She had a baby at 17 in _prison_ , for God’s sake! She wasn’t a perfect princess, and she sure as hell wasn’t a savior. She’s always had darkness in her. She was the one whose heart had the most potential for darkness. They’ve known since before she was born.

“I am the Dark One,” is all she says. “I had to save him. It’s over. Can we move on?” She can feel herself starting to cry, and Dark Ones don’t cry. Even if their parents were so _terrified_ that she might not grow up to be perfect that they were okay with dooming another innocent baby to a life of darkness. Dark Ones don’t cry. But, now Emma is crying.

“Emma, it’s okay. We can get you back to normal. Things can go back to how they should be,” Mary Margaret says gently. “You can be _you_ again!”

“I am me!” Emma snaps, standing. “This is me! I am the Dark One, and I know I’m not the perfect little princess you wanted, or the Savior you think I should be! Do I look like a princess?” Emma gestures to her hair, letting the now-white locks down from her tight bun. She missed the way her hair used to shine like gold in the sun. Now, it was white, and dead. Just like she felt. “Look at this! Am I a princess?”

“Emma-”

“Sweetheart-”

“I am not your sweetheart!” Emma shouts. She holds out one hand, and her dagger appears in her hand. She holds out a thick lock of her hair. “I am the Dark One. You have to accept me! I’m the Dark One, but I’m still your daughter!” She yanks the knife across her hair, severing it. She continues, her eyes so clouded with tears that she can’t see the hair change from white to golden as it falls. “I’m not the dream child you wanted, but I’m the daughter you have. Please, stop pushing me away, stop trying to change me,” Emma says, softer now. She falls to her knees, crying. Mary Margaret and David look at each other in the dim light.

How could they have been so stupid? In their quest for making their daughter perfect, and whole, and light, they’d pushed her further and further away. She was sitting there, begging them to accept her as she is, flaws and all. David is the first to kneel next to her. He runs his hands through her ragged, uneven hair.

“I’m so sorry, Emma. We were wrong to keep trying to fix you. You’re not broken,” he whispers. “We’ve made so many mistakes.” Mary Margaret kneels on her other side.

“You’re right, Emma. You are our daughter, and we shouldn’t be changing you. You don’t have to be a picture perfect princess, or a White Knight in shining armor, or the Savior. We love you, Emma, and we just want the best for you. We’ve made so many mistakes, but we don’t want to keep making them. We want to change, if you’ll give us a chance.” Emma’s shoulders are shaking with sobs, but they can see her nod. They lean in together, planting a kiss on either side of her temple.

A golden ripple of energy and light pulsates out from Emma, and there’s a _WHOOSH_ as everything comes rushing back.

“You broke my curse,” Emma gasps softly.

“We remember everything,” David says. With his new memories from Camelot, he grabs his wife’s hand. “We’re so sorry.” He leans forward, hugging her again. She stands on shaky legs, giving them a watery smile.

“Emma, look in the mirror,” Snow says. She stands behind Emma. “Your hair, it’s not white anymore.” Emma smiles, seeing the color back in her hair. Her face blanches when she touches the ragged, uneven ends.

“Oh God, I cut my hair with a dagger. Mulan made that look so easy in the movie!” she squeaks.

“You are still beautiful,” David reminds her. “Your hair is not what people love about you. And we can get someone to give you a new style. You’re our daughter, and we love you. No matter what.”

“No matter what?” Emma asks softly.

“No matter what,” her mother confirms. “Something wrong?” Emma bites her lip, thinking back to that moment in Camelot when she was trying to light the stupid flame. _“You just have to be brave enough to knock down those walls you’re hiding behind. The dagger can make you look, but you have to choose to see.”_ Emma can see now, and she’s sick of hiding behind walls.

“Would you love me even if I didn’t marry my prince charming? Even if my prince charming was… a princess charming?” Emma asks, biting the inside of her cheek.

“Yes,” Mary Margaret says immediately. “We would love you if you turned the sky green, if you’re the Dark One, if you’re gay, straight, whatever. You are our daughter, and we love you.”

“Without a doubt,” David agrees. Emma’s crying again, happy tears now. Dark Ones don’t cry, but Emma does.

 

“Thanks,” Emma smiles to the man. Her parents had called a few friends last night, and found a hair stylist who’d been willing to make a home visit. The next morning he had come to fix the mess that Emma had made of her own hair. She’d been so proud when he commented on the beautiful color. Now that he’d cut it, shearing off the sides, and helping her to spike up the top layer, she was looking in the mirror.

“See? Beautiful, no matter what,” Mary Margaret smiles.

“Thanks again, Ed,” David smiles, showing the man out.

“I have an errand to run. I’ll see you guys for dinner, later?” Emma smiles, spurred on by a sudden burst of confidence. She poofs away in a cloud of white smoke, appearing on Regina’s front steps.

“I was wondering when you’d show up, Miss Swan,” Regina starts, swinging open the door.

“Miss Swan? Really?” Emma asks. Regina doesn’t respond, staring at Emma’s hair. “You like it?”

“Uh, yeah, I do,” Regina responds clearing her throat. “Sorry, um, anyway. I was wondering when you’d show up Miss Swan. Our memories are back, and it looks like you no longer seem to be battling the darkness.”

“It’s still there,” Emma shrugs. “I can feel it, but it feels less… explosive. So… you have your memories back. Do you hate me?”

“No, we never hated you,” Regina says softly.

“So, why am I still Miss Swan?” Regina smirks, rolling her eyes.

“Alright _Em-ma_ , why the new hairstyle?”

“Had a midlife crisis, needed a change,” Emma shrugs, grinning. “But I came here for more than compliments on my hair. I need to apologize for all the crap I pulled. And, um, tell you something. You remember when we were standing by the well? You were trying to help me break down my walls? Well, they were hiding more than you thought they were. Regina… I have feelings for you. Like, more-than-friends feelings.” Regina smirks.

“Do you _like-_ like me, Emma?” she teases. “Should I check ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the note?” Emma shoves Regina’s shoulder.

“Shut up! I’m trying to be serious, here!”

“Which is hard for you in general,” Regina adds, laughing.

“You’re the worst,” Emma pouts. Regina laughs, grabbing the lapels of Emma’s red leather jacket.

“I missed the red leather,” Regina says softly. “Not that I didn’t like all the black leather, but this color suits you.”

“I think you missed more than the jacket,” Emma teases, leaning in. She touches her forehead to Regina’s. Regina growls playfully, leaning in to kiss Emma.

“Can I touch your hair?” she asks, breaking the kiss. Emma laughs.

“Sure,” she smiles. “Glad to know it has your approval.”

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are the lifeblood of a fanfic writer. And prompts. I love prompts!


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